Indian Navy’s ‘New Chapter’: First Woman Fighter Pilot Aastha Poonia Takes Flight

Sub-Lieutenant Aastha Poonia has etched her name in history by becoming the first woman in the Indian Navy to be trained as a fighter pilot, marking a significant milestone in the journey toward greater gender inclusion in naval aviation. She was awarded the coveted "Wings of Gold" on July 3, 2025, after successfully completing her transitional fighter training on Hawk advanced jet trainers at INS Dega, Visakhapatnam.

Poonia will now move on to an intensive one-year training program on MiG-29K fighter jets. Upon successful completion, she is expected to become the first woman to operate from an Indian aircraft carrier, including INS Vikrant or INS Vikramaditya.

Her achievement follows the Indian Air Force's induction of women into the fighter stream in 2016 and expands upon the Indian Navy's previous integration of women as pilots in maritime reconnaissance and helicopter squadrons.

The Navy has hailed this achievement as the beginning of "a new chapter in Naval aviation," reaffirming its commitment to gender inclusion and the empowerment of Nari Shakti (women power) in combat roles.